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Living off your passion… isn’t that everyone’s dream? It’s true that some passions are more easily monetizable than others. Your secret passion for cauliflowers might not be the simplest way to make a living.
But if you share the same passions as Queen Kim K, meaning posting LOTS of photos on Insta, you’re in the right place!
Making money with social media management and monetizing your Instagram account is possible! The success of influencers (even fishing influencers) attests to the significance of Instagram for users and brands alike.
Today, our social media agency will reveal 5 secrets for making money on Instagram!
What is Instagram monetization?
Instagram monetization encompasses all the strategies that allow you to earn money through content published on your Instagram profile. You turn content posted on Insta into money 🤑.
Why monetize your Instagram account?
You have an engaged social media community, you publish quality content, and you’re successful? Why not capitalize on this popularity?
The social network now has over one billion active users worldwide. Influencer marketing is at its peak, with brands constantly seeking partnerships with influencers or famous accounts. Monetizing Instagram content can be a good source of income!
How many followers do you need to make money on Instagram?
You don’t need millions of followers to make money on Instagram! The most important thing is the level of engagement from your community. If you have over a million followers but none of them like or comment on your posts, you’ll find it challenging to attract interested partners for a collaboration.
The key factors for Instagram monetization:
- Engagement from your community. High engagement and dedicated followers= key to success. Calculate your engagement rate; it will help you find monetization partners
- Your niche: a specific and in-demand niche = many potential partners,
- Your number of followers: Many genuine followers = visibility
Our advice: We recommend having a minimum of 1000 followers before attempting to monetize your content.
Above all, do not buy followers; it won’t help you monetize your content at all! Getting followers in exchange for money is easy to find out.
Having certification on Instagram gives you the opportunity to build trust with the Instagram algorithm and your followers, making it easier to monetize your account. You can know get Instagram badges with a subcription.
Follow our tips if you want to know how to get verified on Instagram
5 ways to monetize your Instagram account
List of 5 tips for monetizing your Instagram account.
- Partnering with brands: Influencer marketing
If you want to make money with your Instagram account, one of the best ways to start is by establishing partnerships with brands to showcase the company or its products. Partnerships are the primary source of income for influencers.
Creating exclusive content for brands allows you to quickly kickstart your monetization strategy.
Why do brands engage in partnerships?
Brands form partnerships to promote their products to your community. They aim to make themselves known to your followers and convince them to buy their products or services.
Create sponsored posts
There are different types of sponsored posts you can share on your profile:
- Product reviews (in stories, posts, Reels)
- Natural product placement in a setting
- Share a promotional code: Customized promo codes for your account will be more successful. For example, if your account is @bluepineapple, the promo code BLUEPINEAPPLE20 for a 20% discount on a partner brand’s products is relevant 🍍🔵
- Collaborative posts (the post is shared between both accounts)
Our tip 💡: Be mindful to only publish your photos when doing a partnership to feature the products; the result will be more authentic and appealing to your target audience.
Here’s a sponsored post from Canadian influencer @shinanova.
Organize contests
Organizing a contest in partnership with a company has a dual benefit: it pleases your followers (who doesn’t love gifts!) and allows you to earn money on Instagram through compensation.
Note that not all brands offer paid contests. They may initially offer you products. To negotiate compensation, highlight your previous partnerships, the results achieved, and the campaign’s engagement rate.
Here is an example of contest organized by the influencer mylittlesecret
How to find a brand for a collaboration on Instagram?
Imagine a video promoting plastic cups to your zero-waste community: mission failure 😨. It’s important to partner with a company whose brand image aligns with your followers. Otherwise, you risk disappointing your community and not achieving the desired results:
- Sign up for the Creator Marketplace, a new tool (similar to TikTok Marketplace) allowing brands on Instagram to find collaborations with influencers.
Platforms available to connect with brands
Some platforms enable you to connect directly with brands for paid partnerships:
- The ifluenz platform specializes in Instagram influencer marketing. Note that you need at least 5000 followers to create an account on the platform.
- The Hivency platform is accessible to nano-influencers (500-5000 followers) and micro-influencers (5000-100,000 followers). Keep in mind that you may only be compensated with products or invitations to events.
Bonus tip ☀️:
Have brands that inspire you and dream of collaborating with? Don’t hesitate to mention them in a story or tag them in your posts. This will attract their attention for a potential partnership!
- Engage in affiliation:
Affiliate Marketing Selling products on Instagram interests you, but handling orders, shipments, and customer service stresses you out? We get it! In this situation, why not give affiliation a try?
Instagram has become a powerful tool for affiliates. It’s possible to sell products (or a subscription to a service) through Instagram stories, posts, or reels. Engaging in affiliation allows you to earn a commission with each sale (a great way to make money on Instagram).
Use trackable links
To track the success of your affiliate campaign on Instagram, it’s important to use links that allow you to see if sales have been generated through your content.
Where to add affiliate links in an Instagram post?
- Add a clickable link in an Instagram post showing an affiliate product
- Include the link in a swipe-up feature (available only if you have over 10,000 followers).
- Tag the brand in your caption.
- Add a link in your bio (a shortened link on Bitly, for example).
- Include a promo code in a reel, story, or post.
Use an affiliate marketing platform
Affiliate marketing platforms connect you with advertisers looking to promote their offers. This allows you to easily find affiliate partnership opportunities. Affiliate programs are also available and enable you to:
- The Affliae platform allows free registration and hosts 400 advertisers.
- The AWIN platform, accessible to affiliate marketing beginners, offers numerous affiliate opportunities with 241,000 partners.
💡High-quality content is the key for your affiliate strategie.
Don’t hesitate to contact an affiliate marketer (like us) if you need advice in implementing you strategy.
We also have an article dedicated if you want to know the best time to post on Instagram.
3. Launch your Instagram shop
Do you have fans who would be interested in purchasing products with your brand?
What if your success on Instagram could lead to creating your own brand?
Quebecois influencer Marina Bastarache, for example, launched her e-commerce site: Nanathebrand, featuring colorful swimsuits and accessories.
How to sell your products on Instagram?
If you want to start selling directly on Instagram, you’ll first need to create a website. Once that’s done, you can add your shop to your Instagram account (ensure your Instagram account is a business account).
Use Instagram shop
Instagram Shopping gives you the ability to sell directly on the platform. No need to click on a link to make purchases anymore! Numerous payment methods are available on Instagram.
- Sell your photos
Good morning to all the travel, art, or photography accounts worthy of the finest exhibits! So, you’ve got an account with stunning photos, eh?
That’s awesome! You gaze at them every night before drifting off, maybe even framed a couple for your living room to impress your guests ✅ What if you could turn that into profit?
You can sell your Instagram snapshots to stock photo agencies. Depending on the platform and copyright terms, you might earn some commissions.
You can also sell your most breathtaking photos directly to your followers! Photo book, framed picture, or maybe even an NFT – everything is possible 🙃.
- You can sell your Instagram account (we don’t advise It, but we’re informing you)
Like a startup, your Instagram account is a business! Did you know that there are platforms where you can buy and sell Instagram accounts? The website Re Insta specializes in buying and selling Instagram accounts. You just add your follower count, the theme of your account, and you can post a small ad.
⚠️ Caution: The sale and purchase of accounts are prohibited by Instagram’s rules. Therefore, you risk having your account disabled if you sell it.
What are monetization requirements on Instagram?
Monetization can be profitable when used correctly. However, the desire to make money on Instagram can sometimes make one overlook the community requirements.
Not everything is allowed on Instagram, especially when it comes to generating revenue through content posted on the platform. Creators must adhere to Instagram’s monetization rules, or they risk having their content or account deleted.
Your content must be identified as sponsored
Familiar with hashtags #ad #sponsored, or the caption ‘paid partnership’? You’ll need to know about these for monetization! To avoid misleading your community and keep loyal followers it’s important to disclose that your content is monetized. How do you do this?
A great example is provided below with a post from the influencer Léna Malhouf:
Formats prohibited from monetization on Instagram
Certain formats are not allowed to be monetized on the platform:
- Static videos
- Polls with static images
- Image slideshows
- Looping videos
- Content already sponsored on Instagram
Behaviors prohibited from monetization on Instagram
The platform will penalize monetized content that forces Instagram users to click on a link or engage with the content (likes, comments, or shares). Keep this guideline in mind, as it’s one of Instagram’s most frequently forgotten rules. You’ve probably already encountered posts asking for likes or comments.
Other behaviors prohibited from monetization include:
- Content spreading misleading information
- Encouraging dangerous behaviors such as alcohol consumption or explicit actions.
Monetize only your own creations
Content with false information or content that does not belong to you (such as memes, photos from other accounts) cannot be monetized. You can only monetize unique content that you have created!
Monetizing your Instagram? Plenty of opportunities!
The best monetization marketing strategies are in your hands! It’s time to benefit from monetization opportunities. Don’t let your Instagram account just sit there—think of it as the display window of a store. Invite your followers to step through the door and try new products and services.
To monetize your Instagram with an effective strategy stay consistent and don’t aim too high at the start.
If you’re a nano-influencer in sports, specializing in hockey, don’t immediately try for a partnership with the Montreal Canadiens. Start with a smaller team; this way, you can make money on Instagram more easily 😉
We support content creators on Instagram
Follow the advice of our social media consultant to help you with monetizing your Instagram content (or content creation on social media). Our Instagram Advertising Agency in Montreal is eager to assist you in developing a strategy for your social networks!
Discover our social media packages 😍
